Song Of The Siren (The Gospel Of Thomas remix) (4:50)
Song Of The Siren (Mediterranean mix) (5:43)
Review: First released way back in 1990, 'Song Of The Siren' remains one of Ronald Burrell's most magical productions as Aphrodisiac - an atmospheric, poetic and genuinely tactile New York deep house classic that sounds as good in late 2024 as it did at the turn of the 90s. Nu Groove thinks so, because they've paired the track's most popular original mix - the gorgeous, lapping waves-sampling 'Mediterranean Mix' - with a trio of edits and reworks. Bushwacka focuses on the groove, chords and twinkling piano motifs, delivering a more DJ-friendly take smothered in echoing drum hits and delay-laden vocalisations, while Dazzle Drums opts for a jazzier and more trippy interpretation. As for the 'Gospel of Thomas' remix, it's warm, groovy, trippy and evocative, with fine use of echoing, marimba-style melodies and vintage garage-house drums.
Review: Allnite Music boss APOENA returns with the label's second essential release in a mere matter of weeks. Four slices of exceptionally cool house music, from 'Soul People' with its chuntering organs and inspirational rabble rousing sampled from Martin Luther King to 'Meditation' with its cowbell-enhanced groove and oozing, soulful vocals. The serene glide and billowing synths of 'Jus Dance' and the meditational hypnotism of 'Shapeshifters' complete the package, all going to make one neat selection of tasteful, addictive cuts.
Review: Anil Aras' latest effort strikes with unexpected force, blending deep house with subtle nods to dub and techno. The EP has a tangible weight, where basslines resonate with a satisfying depth and rhythms maintain a fluid, hypnotic quality. Aras doesn't rush, opting for a slow, deliberate groove that feels like a late-night conversation. There's no push for flashiness, but rather a focus on space, restraint and atmosphere, allowing each track to breathe and shift in an organic, almost meditative fashion.
Review: The Alone Together Remixes EP breathes new life into Viken Arman's acclaimed 2023 album and has standout reinterpretations from Acid Pauli, Session Victim and Mano Le Tough. Session Victim first infuse 'You With Me' with their signature soul and craft a rhythmic, percussive journey. Acid Pauli blends 'You With Me' and 'Lonely Raver' into a surreal, experimental trip of modular rhythms and dreamlike textures and deep house master Mano Le Tough offers a wonderful take on 'Vibrations'. It is a pulsing club workout designed for peak-time with plenty of lush synth textures. Importantly, each remix is sympathetic to Viken's original analogue warmth.
Review: ARN4L2's first-ever solo vinyl project is a doozy. Across five cuts he looks to the dance floor from his own unique perspective and mixes up Congolese soukous, Colombian Bullerengue, Nigerian highlife, Caribbean soca, and good old house music. His style is colourful and psychedelic and it really is fresh across the hurried, skittish percussive rhythms of 'Rompecuero' and deeper Afro-funk and soul of 'Caribe.' 'Kampangola' brings great instrumental displays and 'Papasukus' is pure summer music. A super strong EP from an artist well worth watching this year.
Review: London scene veteran Alex Arnout has released on labels diverse as Dogmatik, S.A.S.H. and La Vie En Rose and now he is back with the second release on his very own Modern Explorer. There's four tracks on his new Mind Control EP: the deep retro techno of the title track features an array of early 90s dance music tropes for a proper throwback, being treated to a remix by Laidlaw (Beeyou/Infuse) up next, who injects the track with a nice sense of swing for more of a tech house sound. Over on the flip, Arnout goes all the way back to Detroit circa 1988 on the high tech funk of 'Complex' followed by one more old school blowout on 'Hype Over'.
Review: Hard Times taps Alex Arnout's Black Logic for a release that feels like a natural extension of the label's deep house legacy. Having spent his formative years on Hard Times the club's dancefloor, Arnout channels that history into four tracks that blend jazz-flecked grooves with rich, soulful textures. The opener is a crisp, funk-laced roller, its bassline locked into a groove that nods to the genre's 90s heyday. 'Back 2 Where We Were' takes a more introspective turn, its warm melodies and fluid percussion creating a late-night haze. 'Blackman' sees Beckford deliver a stirring vocal, weaving conscious lyricism into intricate instrumentation, while 'Jazz Mess' closes the set with free-flowing drums and improvisational energy.
Review: CASSIMM knows how to make rock-solid house designed to get floors bumping and that's just what he serves up here for the Rekids label. 'Body & Soul' is a tune that appeals to both with its charming bassline and raw drums all topped with some sultry vocal swirls. 'I Hear You' then brings some hands-in-the-air house with vamping chords and a well-swung groove while 'What Ya Looking At' shuts down with a funky low end and some soulful old school house grooves complete with a sleazy vocal.
Review: Public Possession welcomes back Aroma Pitch for another four tracker that bares all their usual hallmarks - namely lots of warm analogue sounds that unite everything from driving to Balearic beats via big room nu-disco and playful in-between sounds. 'Millennium Surfer' opens with a wash of gently twirling synth arps and 80s drums, there is a fantastically bubbling bassline and dubby feel to 'Balearic Shift', while 'Staub Groove' is a more thumping house cut with weird synth textures. Without doubt it is closer 'Areal Earth (dub)' that wins the EP with its ethereal pads, dreamy vibes and smooth dub house low end.
Review: The latest addition to House Puff records, Dutch DJ Aron Volta teams up with Frenchman DJ Steaw for the first in a series of exciting house EPs. Steaws' soul-inspired, bass-rich productions are the perfect counterbalance to the rolling groove on Volta's side 1, with 'Room 101' having a disco feel, whilst 'Lyre' borrows from trance sensibilities in its melodies. Side 2 sees the bass turned up a notch in piano house cut 'Inner Beauty', borrowing from classic New York 80s House, and a more melodic, rhythmic 'Cosmic Dream' is a throwback fantasy for house oldheads. Split Ep1 is a sign of even more to come hopefully, and this small sample will definitely excite you.
Review: Especial is a label always on a mission to unearth left-of-centre perspectives on club music. This new EP, Be Honest, is just that from long-time friends Lipelis and Arsenii, who are based in Belgrade and New York but seek inspiration in the New York sounds of the 80s and hook up with Gayana for some woozy and lovelorn vocal additions. 'Be Honest' is a dubbed out and swaggering deep disco groove that comes as long, dub and cappella versions on the A-side. The 12" dance mix brings some superb house drums into the picture and the Dubplate VIP is a fresh jungle rhythm. This is an EP with something for all.
Review: Philpot's Traxworx series got off to a blinding start earlier this year with the dust down from Roman Rauch and label regular Ike and it looks to be quite the promising endeavour if the line-ups remain as strong as this second duel featuring Arttu and Hakim Murphy. Neither artist really needs a formal introduction here and both are well suited for the floor focused nature of this series. Arttu is first up with "Can't Get Down" a collaboration with Kaye that bounces along with loose and deadly intent - if you liked the Geeeman stuff on Clone you will love this pappy, especially when that sax comes in! On the flip Innerspace Halflifer Hakim Murphy goes for the abstract approach on "ES1" which features some superb drum edits.
Review: Originally released on the cult V4 Visions label in 1991 & 1994, Ashaye's 'Dreaming' and 'What's This World Coming To' epitomised the essence of street soul, a genre blending soul, r&b, and hip-hop that resonated across London's pirate radio stations in the 1990s. With the surge in UK soul's popularity in recent years, DJs and tastemakers have championed these tracks which has in turn elevated their demand and value. 'Dreaming' has become nearly unattainable on the second-hand market, while 'What's This World Coming To' commands prices upwards of L50. Snap up this fully licensed RSD release however and you will have both tracks for an affordable price.
Review: This third volume of instrumentals continues the faultless Isle of Jura label's deep dive into dub versions and beyond. Side one takes in references from UK street soul and reggae and features two late-'80s tracks by Howard Hill with machine-led rhythms, rudeboy reggae skank and soulful pads. Protek's 'I Love to Dance With You' is a proto-house gem featured in a Jura Soundsystem mix and here it gets a loving re-edit by The Nightlark. Side B includes an instrumental-driven track with spacey FX from The Cool Notes' and Ilija Rudman's 'Dub 4 Love' which is a knowing nod to acid house's golden era.
Review: Los Angeleno AshTreJinkins is up next for London/Tokyo joint venture NCS, who as some of you may know by now: only release in very limited runs: so get in quick! Named after the famed American soft drink that tastes like mouthwash, the Root Beer EP features four servings of lo-fi house which will certainly fit in with the status quo currently set by the likes of Lobster Theremin, E-Beamz et al. The tough and driving vintage techno of "Dead Or Wounded" kicks off the EP in good from, while "Frozen" with its hypnotic chord progression and jagged rhythm patterns create a unique groove that really gets off the grid. Finally, the tribal house tool "Adware Nigga" calls to mind Canadian Hayden Andre Brown's seminal jams from the early '90s, but backed by some L.I.E.S. style analogue techno grunt.
Review: French label D3 - which when pronounced in French sounds like their word for Detroit - is a decade old and celebrates the milestone with a special three-part EP series. As has always been the case over that 10 year period, the sounds it serves up are deep and housey. This various artists affair kicks off with AsTreJinkins' slow and propulsive 'Terror' before some nice airy and live sounding broken beats from New Digital Fidelity. Moroka picks up the pace with some hi-tek soul that sounds straight from the Motor City and Byron The Aquarius shows off his mastery of the keys again with a dreamy deep cut 'Tua Su Ra'. Nico Lahs shuts down with a heavyweight beatdown in the form of 'It's Spelled BARI.'
Review: Club Vision's tenth release celebrates a deep creative bond with Atimpuri who presents his standout new EP, Epic Wave. The A-side opens with 'Critical Moments,' a euphoric house cut radiating warmth and positivity that you cannot escape. The title track follows and delivers a hypnotic trance journey driven by energetic drums and an unforgettable lead riff. On the B-side, 'Morning Crying' channels classic 90s house with lush pads and a bold bassline, while 'Smw' offers a dreamy breakbeat closer rich with strings and immersive effects. Blending past and present, Atimpuri crafts a sound that's both nostalgic and forward-thinking here.
Review: Philip Leroi has had many musical lives over the years, variously recording as Linntronix and alongside Danny Sugarman as Stylus Heat. Atlantic Brain is his latest project, with the EP for Prins Thomas's Internasjonal label being his most high-profile to date. The key cut is 'Brother', a sparkling, melodious and attractive slab of electro marked out by squelchy bass and star-fall melodies. Rising star Alan Dixon delives two takes: a gorgeous, largely beat-free 'Piano Reprise' that sits at the rhythmic end of the ambient spectrum and the squelchy nu-disco-goes-deep house 'Love Attack Mix'. Elsewhere, 'The New Normal' is a shuffling and ghostly electro-not-electro number and 'Sticky Fingers' is a pleasingly wayward acid excursion.
Review: Toko gifts us another timeless classic from their esteemed archive, this one penned by Attaboy sometime in 1997. Now highly coveted on 12", the label opts for a mint vinyl reissue that is much more affordable than original copies. 'Autopsy In B Flat' offers a driving, late-night house experience, with compressed, echo-laden percussion blending seamlessly with robust bass lines and intricate lead melodies. Then, 'Kookaburra' captivates with hypnotic percussion and bass, anchoring a dreamy yet dynamic journey. Wafty synth stabs and growling square waves complete the sonic canvas, delivering a grandiose deep house experience.
Review: Having dipped into the label's bulging archives earlier in the year to offer up a freshly remastered edition of 'Klarky Kat' by Gumbo (a rare collaboration between label bosses Attaboy and Swag's Chris Duckenfield), Toko has returned to the vaults for another essential reissue. 'In Too Deep' hails from 1997, when it marked the fifth release on the Sheffield-based imprint. Reflective of the sound played at legendary Sheffield deep and tech-house party Scuba, the title track is a sultry and saucer-eyed affair, with sustained synth-strings, tactile riffs and luscious melodic motifs wrapping around an hypnotic deep house-meets-tech-house groove. In contrast, 'In Deeper' is a much more minimalistic, tech-tinged affair, close in sound and tone to Swag productions of the period - all deep, undulating bass, effects-laden weirdo noises and locked-in beats.
Review: Those who've followed Alex Attias' career over the last two decades will tell you that he's always been capable of crafting the kind of jazzy, soulful, life-affirming fare more readily associated with UK broken beat producers. He's at it again on "I Wanna Know", a deliciously warm and sultry slab of dancefloor soul rich in samba-fired house beats, fluid piano lines (provided, we think, by Kid K), drowsy chords and a killer lead vocal from Georgia Anne Muldrow. Over on side B, Attias strips out most of Muldrow's vocal on a Dub Mix that rightly layers up the beats, emphasizes the track's jazzy horns and virtually bathes in the liquidity of its jazz-funk synths.
Review: Audio Soul Project returns with fresh vinyl here in the form of their Simurgh EP, which is named after a mythical Persian bird. Across the tunes you'll find a fusion of dub, d&B, house and even r&b to make for an alluring sonic trip. Opener 'Deliver Me' brings the warmth and soul with balmy chords over raw, woody drums with a big diva vocal up top. Things are paired back for 'Azizam Dub' which has a subsonic bass line bump and synth stabs bringing the energy. 'Internal Vybrations' is d&b powered by monstrous bass with hi-hats, shakers and maracas detailing the rhythm, and last of all 'Celebration Dub' brings a funky and summery house vibe perfect for outdoor dancing. This is as varied an EP as you'll hear this season.
Review: UK house mainstays Audiojack are well entrenched in the house scene and have been forever. They have landed on plenty of key labels, established their own fine outlet, and now land on the respected Crosstown with a fresh deep house offering. 'Play With My Mind' is a nice bubbly cut with 90s chords and deft little vocal sounds. 'Casual Verve' brings some US garage style snares and a gritty, grinding bassline and 'Connect' is oozes cool from the neon synth patterns that bounce over the stripped-back beats. 'Delirium' shuts down with a libidinus vocal hook over turbo charged tech grooves.
Review: Given his long-held love of fusing elements of different musical cultures from around the world, Auntie Flo (real name Brian D'Souza) is almost the perfect Multi-Culti artist. It's something of a surprise then to find that this is only his second outing on the label. He begins in confident mood with 'Esperanto', a delightfully melodious, bubbly and synth-heavy slab of chugging sonic joy, before wrapping waves of mind-altering electronics and sun-bright synths around a slipped Afro-tech beat on 'Unua Libro'. Over on side two, D'Souza takes us to a deeper and more immersive place on 'El Heine', explores hybrid cosmic/ambient soundscapes on 'Ho Mia Kor', and doffs a cap to the new age ambient pioneers of times gone by on blissful closing cut 'Mia Penso'.
Review: Contemporary Afro-house producer and record procurer Auntie Flo tops up his flux-satisfactory A State Of Flo label with a re-pressed bleary-eyed house number, 'Green City', a track first released in 2024 and which paid homage to the Afrobeat legend and activist Fela Kuti. First debuted in a revelrous setting at 2019's We Out Here Festival, the track has since evolved into a staple of Flo's live sets, building on the contemporary folktronic fervour for records built out of obscure sample sources. In this case, the track evolves around a field recording captured in Nairobi, his motherland. East African Ambassa Mandela from the band Sarabi resounds on vocals, while contributions from Yohan Kebede of Kokoroko on keys, Ziggy Funk on guitar, Laurie Pitt from Golden Teacher on drums, and Glasgow's Joe Howe (Ex Ben Butler & Mousepad) on saxophone follow. 'Aker The Lion God' contrasts to the A's rather grand spirit crescendo with a downbeat deep house digestif.
Review: Hello to new label I Love Your Edits which is to tap into a rich tradition of tweaking disco gems from days gone by in order to bring them up to date and make them that bit more suited to modern dancefloors. Austin Ato takes care of the first outing and starts with the hard-hitting disco house rawness of 'Bertha' which is a grinding and loopy cut that never quits. 'Been So Good' then brings some funky vocal work and neat guitar riffs and 'Love Explosion' is a classic you will likely already know with its soaring strings. 'Cleo' shuts down with a more funky and jazz-tinged sound.
Review: Following a fundraising event in Leeds, 3AM Recordings have released this limited 100-copy 12" sampler as a not-for-profit project, with proceeds being split equally between Help Ukraine Center and the ActionAid Ukraine Appeal. Auto Sound City's 'L-XXVII.313' is deep house at its percussive best, a vintage-sounding drum machine intricately programmed to fire on all cylinders. On the flip, Al Bradley's 'Druzhba' is dubby house with a subtle, light touch, an irresistible layer of eeriness flavouring free flowing beats. Good tunes, even better cause.
Review: This is a fine first outing from Chez De Milo's Club Blanco label, an imprint named after the DJ/producer's now long-running party in his hometown of Bristol. He's scored something of a coup, too, by persuading Paranoid London man Quinn Whalley to re-activate his occasional Johnny Aux alias after 12 years. Whalley delivers two original cuts: 'Supersonic', a kind of techno-tempo 4/4 electro number with pulsating bass, elongated chords and restless electronic riffs, and 'On The Train', a breathless breakbeat number peppered with fizzing electronics and his trademark TB-303 acid sounds. Jamie Paton remixes that track, giving it a smoother, more spaced-out feel - it's a superb revision all told - while Chez De Milo turns 'Supersonic' into a dark acid roller.
Review: It almost feels like Amsterdam's Rush Hour has been around as long as house music itself. The Dutch powerhouse does it all from new and fresh sounds to classic reissues. For this one, the assured Await 3 brings the party with a selection of hazy and dusty MPC jams with live accompaniment from Jos De Haas of New Cool Collective on percussion and Stefan Schmid from Zuco 103 on keys. The result is a timeless mix of warm-hearted jams, house cuts, broken beats and hazy melodies that are as comfy and frayed around the edges as your favourite jeans.
Review: There's not much info floating around about this one, though it appears to not only be the debut release from the freshly minted I Don't Know label, but also the producer behind it, Awly. As debuts go, it's a cracker. Straight-up peak-time vibes are supplied by A-side 'You Having Fun?', a Soundstream-meets-French Touch style slab of loopy disco-house hedonism peppered with dubby breakdowns and hypnotising nods to the deeper end of the house spectrum. Awly joins forces with Paolo Rocco on the 'Censored Mix' of squelchy P-funk-goes-house number 'What's On It', which includes some fantastic sampled chat in the breakdown, before rounding of a fine first outing via the organ-rich, garage-house influenced warmth of 'Are You Amazing?'
Review: Those with even a basic knowledge of Italian dance music will have come across Alex Neri productions before; during the 1990s, he recorded loads of house (and less frequently, techno), under a wide variety of aliases. In 1991, he donned the Axe Corner alias (alongside studio buddies Adriana Dodici, Marco Baroni and Pietro Peretti) and delivered Tortuga, an EP of moody blends of house and techno that now sound surprisingly far-sighted. A-sides 'OUT-SLD' and 'IN-SLD' are both forthright but funky techno outings whose bleeping lead lines and thickset grooves pay tribute to the then-massive bleep & bass sound (albeit without the colossal sub-bass and dub reggae influences that style was famous for), while flip-side cuts 'BAD-SLD' and 'SLD-Effects' deliver tougher, late-night takes on the organ-rich Italo-house sound.
Review: REPRESS ALERT!: Born 2 Be Free returns with a second sizzling slab of UKG-flavoured wax and this one from Azaad has a superb throwback feel thanks to the smart sampling. 'Untitled 92' hints at which period this artist has the most respect for with its silky smooth chords and thumping kicks getting you into a nice deep vibe before 'Outta My Mind' hist that bit harder with nice dry, scraping hits, bouncy bass and clipped vocal fragments. The classy vibes continue with 'Torn' which shuts down with a more high speed and slick sound smart snares and a rich, emotive vocal that finishes it in style. Three classy, timeless garage cuts.
Review: Danish artists B From E lands on the increasingly impressive French label Happiness Therapy with a trio of new EPS that delve into spirituality and pay home to the transformative power of dancing. 'Siphonophore' gets underway with a trance-laced melodic edge and high-speed drums then hypnotic neo-trance layers wash over you on the speedy 'Storm' and 'Dreams Of Sasabone' taps in the hard house revival with bouncy but funky kicks and glowing neon pads. 'Love & Joy '97 has an old-school feel with euro dance beats and warped basslines and 'Planet Love' completes the trip with a blend of psychedelic synth colours, filtered vocals and optimism in the uplifting grooves.
Review: Fresh deep garage house stylings from B From E, who's able to demonstrate they know how to do it just right. The Danish producer/DJ is evidently a treasured fixture of their label Happiness Therapy, who specialise in this kind of stuff, but rarely find so much talent or passion for the styles condensed into a single six-tracker. Topping up the label's 'Just At Night' series, cuts like 'Nirvana' and Niles Cooper's remix of 'Just At Night' and are shuffly piano-housers on the emotive side, recalling the tearjerking and dub-dued feelings of early house artists like the Wamdue Kids, but with an arguably much defter 4x4-garage flair.
Review: B From E is a Danish artist who has a trio of new EPs all coming on the French label Happiness Therapy. The concept is to explore spirituality while paying homage to the transformative power of dancing. 'Sa?s?ra Cycles' soon showcases his exceptional artistic and technical skill as it weaves through an ethereal dream house, uplifting garage and piano house and hypnotic neo-trance while highlighting his remarkable versatility. 'Diamonds' is a catchy and rubbery tech opener with Balearic chords and 'Mushrooms' has a more dubby and driving low end with lovely synth arcs way up in the heavens. These are some of the freshest cuts we've heard in a minute.
Review: Picnic tends towards flaunting the eclecticism of the British underground, standing in stark opposition to conformity. B Love, Rokko, Mathijs Smit and Herra come through for their latest V/A here, each with their own unique style and flavour to the four-way table - whether they work in deep house, techno, or the cheekier side of speed-garage-ambient. As 'Thumb Milk' says in the pre-drop moment of pause: "do what you feel, when you feel like it". Such is the exact feel of this EP, from the idyllic chordwork of Rock's 'Sunset Frequency' to the organic organry of 'Going Backwards'.
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